I’m pretty set on adopting a dog. I check the SPCA website every week and fantasize about after-dinner walks and a happily wagging tail. The main roadblock right now is that my apartment is not dog-friendly. It’s also way too big for my partner and I who have an aversion to acquiring what just ends up as “stuff.”

So that’s what got us on the apartment hunting circuit. And boy, is it a bummer. Anyone who has looked for an apartment, let alone a pet-friendly one, will attest how onerous the process can be. A few times, we have become so discouraged with the rental options that we’ve considered buying. Even when we play make-believe and ignore the pricetag, this has presented its own challenges. We cannot find a high-quality (as in you get what you pay for, not a bunch of particle board trying to pass as solid wood) home in a walkable area that is small enough for our liking.

I’m not talking uber small like the tiny house pictures you have likely seen shared online (Exhibit A: Pinterest). I just mean under 1000 sf. We don’t need more than that and with a smaller square footage, we could afford to invest in higher quality build and some solar panels.

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Transportation for America

America's transportation system is half a century behind--causing unnecessary pollution, expense, and congestion. We need our leaders to invest in public transportation, high-speed passenger rail, streets safe for biking and walking, maintaining our roads and transit systems, and green innovation.